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Listed under:  History  >  Historical inquiry  >  Historical sources  >  Primary sources
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Tour of NSW Government House

This resource is a YouTube playlist containing a series of videos taken as a group of senior high school students are given a guided tour of NSW Government House in 2010. The tour covers primary sources such as architecture, furniture and images significant to the history of Australia and NSW.

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History skills

This unit consists of teacher support materials and resources for students relevant to the development of a historical inquiry. Students will develop skills of historical research in their community leading to the creation of a digital history resource. The videos provided in the student resources highlight how a variety ...

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Four Corners: Surf story

Imagine riding a big wave on a surfboard back in the days when surfboard riding was the newest craze to hit Australia. At that time, many teenagers believed that surfing represented a whole new way of life. This Four Corners program from the early 1960s investigates the impact of the rise of the surfboard and surfing culture ...

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Weekend Magazine: The modern office workplace, 1960s style

How different was the Australia workplace half a century ago? This Weekend Magazine program from the mid-1960s looks at work in what was then the new Commonwealth Centre in Sydney, where 2,000 Commonwealth public servants were employed. It provides a glimpse of a world that has changed beyond recognition. As you watch the ...

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Journey into Japan: Japan's shoguns keep everyone in their places

What was the status of each social class in shogunate Japan? During the period from around 1600 to 1868, Japan was a feudal society. As in medieval Europe, each group had its place in a strict social order. Watch this clip to discover the roles of each group during the age when the Tokugawa shoguns ruled the country. This ...

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This Day Tonight: Chinese Australians and the Moon Festival, 1978

How have the cultural traditions of people from Asia enriched Australian society? The Moon Festival is one such tradition. In this clip from 1978, an ABC reporter visits Dixon Street in Sydney's Chinatown to discover what this celebration means to Chinese Australians and the wider community.

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ABC 7.30: Survivors of the sinking of HMAS Perth, 1942

Discover what happened to the sailors aboard the Royal Australian Navy's light cruiser HMAS Perth when it was torpedoed during a battle in the Sunda Strait on 28 February 1942 and sank shortly after midnight on 1 March. This program was broadcast on Anzac Day 2013. Watch and listen as three Perth survivors recall their ...

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The Snowy Mountains Scheme

How did the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme come to be Australia's greatest economic achievement in the decades following World War II? In this clip, discover what Australia hoped to accomplish through the scheme, and some of the sacrifices that were made for it. Also learn what life was like for migrants from war-devastated ...

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Peter FitzSimons: Reading from 'Tobruk'

In this resource Peter FitzSimons reads from 'Tobruk'. Learncast video.

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Peter FitzSimons: Approach to history 1

In this resource Peter FitzSimons talks about his approach to writing history. Learncast video.

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Peter FitzSimons: writing style

In this resource Peter FitzSimons talks about his writing style. Learncast video.

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Peter FitzSimons: Research process 2

In this resource Peter FitzSimons talks about how he researches history. Learncast video.

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Stateline TAS: Aunty Ida West: Tasmanian Aboriginal Elder, 1995

Imagine being told not to speak your own language to your family and friends. Even worse, imagine being told that your whole culture had vanished, when you know it has not. These challenges were faced by Aboriginal people in the 20th century. In this clip, discover how Aunty Ida West's background and life experiences forged ...

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Four Corners: Do women's rights threaten men's domains?

Explore the attitudes of Australian men towards the rights of Australian women in the 1960s. Could women's rights threaten those of men's or were such fears typical of gender discrimination? This clip from 1965 investigates the reactions of Queensland men to the suggestion that women should be allowed to drink in public ...

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Thinkabout, Talkabout: Australian children during World War II

What was life like for Australian children during World War II? From 1939 to 1945 Australia was at war. After Japan entered the war in 1941, this conflict became a total war, which affected almost everyone and almost every aspect of life in Australia. Listen to two people who lived through this time sharing their memories ...

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Four Corners: Not a place for the 'gentler sex'

Why weren't women allowed to drink in the public bars of Queensland hotels in the 1960s? What social beliefs and attitudes would justify such a prohibition? This clip presents responses from a bar attendant and two politicians to a famous protest against the ban in 1965. The clip is third in a series of three.

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Foreign Correspondent: Dirty tricks in 1066

How was William of Normandy able to defeat the Saxon army of Harold Godwinson in 1066 and become the king of England? The Norman's victory at Hastings marked the beginning of their complete conquest of England over the following few years. Discover the tactics of both sides in the Battle of Hastings. This clip is the second ...

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Thinkabout, Talkabout: Rations and coupon shopping

Discover what it was like to go shopping in Australia during World War II. See how people in the 1940s had to live with restrictions on how much they could buy (rationing). Find out how rationing was an attempt to make the distribution of necessary goods, such as food and clothing, equal for everybody.

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Weekend Magazine: The Stomp, a 1960s dance craze

Imagine a dance so simple it could be learnt in minutes and so popular it became a craze. This clip from a Weekend Magazine program screened in 1963 looks at such a dance. It was called the Stomp and it was pounded out in surf clubs and council halls around Australia's coast. Watch and listen as teenagers express their ...

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Thinkabout, Talkabout: Getting around town during the war years

During a fuel crisis, how do most people get around? In Australia during World War II, fuel was rationed (restricted so that people could buy only limited amounts), as it was in very short supply. Car parts were also in limited supply, so they were hard to replace. Hear some accounts of that time and watch footage from ...